There’s no substitute for ending the season on a winning note, but a couple of New Westminster Salmonbellies did earn their share of hardware with the unveiling of the Western Lacrosse Association’s 2018 award winners.
New West’s Logan Schuss and Mike Messenger were named last week as the Commission Trophy and Gordon C. Nicholson Memorial Award recipients on the heels of solid seasons.
Schuss, who also picked up the Denny Huddleston Memorial Award as the league’s leading scorer as well as the circuit’s Three Star Award, was voted the Commission winner in a vote of the board of governors. The 27-year-old forward established career-bests with 37 goals and 69 assists over 17 regular season contests, doubling his point production of a year ago.
The Commission Trophy, first presented in 1958, is handed to the league’s Most Valuable Player.
Messenger, meanwhile, played in only 11 regular season games due to a long playoff run with the National Lacrosse League’s Saskatchewan Rush. He tallied three goals and six assists.
The Nicholson award is given to the player who demonstrates outstanding defensive skills while possessing leadership qualities on and off the floor.
Both Schuss and Messenger were named to the WLA’s first all-star team, joining goaltender Frank Scigliano and forward Curtis Dickson, both of Maple Ridge, Victoria’s Casey Jackson and Nanaimo’s Drew Belgrave.
New West netminder Alexis Buque, who posted a league-best nine wins this past season, was voted to the league’s second all-star team.
